The angel named Azura
by Neferius
Summary: Arael's fateful attack was initially seen as a tragic event. Little did the angel know that it was the greatest gift it could have possibly given. Asuka begins to open up, Shinji gains some courage, and Rei discovers a reason to live. Shinji x Asuka


**A/N: I'll admit that Shinji is definitely OOC. Hell, I'll throw Asuka in there too. In fact, screw it, OOC-ness all around.**

**I regret nothing!**

* * *

**The angel named Azura**

**Chapter One**

**Conception**

"Unit 01, return to your position immediately" Commander Gendo Ikari stated firmly as Unit 01 charged towards its fallen comrade.

"No, I can't just leave Asuka out there to die" Shinji yelled in a rage more in character to his Evangelion then himself.

"Unit 00 is bringing up a weapon to defeat the angel right now Third Child, you will return immediately or once again be punished for your insubordination" Gendo tried to intimidate the pilot since that tactic always worked against his insecure 'son'.

"Rei is taking too long and I can't just sit back and wait anymore, Unit 01 out" he cut the communications to his Evangelion and continued running towards Asuka's location. Fuyutsuki stepped forward and began to instruct the command crew.

"Prepare to increase the pressure inside his plug…".

"Belay that" Gendo stated calmly though he was clearly agitated.

"But…wont that risk Unit 01" Fuyutsuki asked.

"With the S2 organ imbedded in Unit 01's belly, it would cause more harm than good to agitate the pilot, sensei" Gendo stated "Besides, Rei will reach the surface any minute".

"Unit 01 has reached Unit 02 and is currently standing next to the angel's beam of light" Maya said as she watched her monitor.

"Asuka" Shinji yelled "Asuka, can you hear me"?

"Sha-Shinji" she replied weakly.

"I'm right here, can you get up?" he asked.

"Le-ave me…alone…I-I don't want--need your help" She struggled to get Unit 02 up "Come down here and face me in person you damn angel" she growled.

Hovering high in the atmosphere Arael, the fifteenth angel, heard its targets plea and decided to teach the lilim a lesson by increasing the intensity of its beam.

"Ahh, get out of my mind" Asuka screamed as she was forced back down by the beam.

"Damn it Asuka, everybody needs help from time to time" Shinji yelled as he jumped into the beam and grabbed Unit 02. The angels attack began entering his mind as soon as he entered the beam of light so he knew that he had little time to act.

Shinji quickly began hauling the dead weight of Unit 02 out of the area but he was in for a shock as the beam began following the two Evangelion's. Arael's attack was not stationary as was assumed and continued following him.

"Rei" Shinji weakly yelled out as he was assaulted with images of his past "Hurry up with that weapon".

'Weapon? What weapon?' The angel wondered as it continued its assault on the two abominations below.

"I have retrieved the Lance of Longinus" Rei said over the radio.

"What the…hell is…the Lance of L-Longinus and why haven't I…heard of it before" Asuka yelled out, more in anger than pain. Nobody had an answer for her since only a select few knew of its existence.

'The lilim have the Lance' Arael thought worriedly 'This does not bode well for me' the beam of light began to weaken as the angel was preoccupied with Unit 00 as it started calculating its throw and raised the lance in the air.

"So…that's the Lance" Shinji said as he recovered from the attack. Unit 00 began to dash forward and, just like an Olympian with a javelin, threw the Lance in the air. Arael soon realized that death was upon it and instinctively fired its beam of light once again on Asuka and Shinji. The two pilots screamed out in agony as the beam hit them with such a high intensity. Shinji felt like he was being pulled apart while Asuka felt like she was about to burst; both of them passed out from the strain. Just as quickly as it had fired, the beam was cut off when the lance struck its target and the angel ceased to exist.

"The target has been destroyed" Maya said as most of the command crew cheered. Misato was not one to be cheerful. Her two charges just went through some form of mental hell and she was worried.

"Rei" Gendo Ikari said over the radio.

"Yes sir" she said as monotonously as she always did but she was somewhat anxious to hear from her creator.

"Retrieve Units 01 and 02" Gendo turned off the radio before she could even reply.

"Yes…commander" few could tell that right now she was a little let down.

* * *

**Three weeks later…**

"The commander agreed to release you today, Shinji" Misato told the boy while he was in the cold and dark cell he had been placed in three weeks prior.

"Finally" Shinji sighed as he stood up, he really didn't like it in here but it did give him some time to think things through and realize a few things about himself.

"So, are you ready to go?" she asked as she opened the cell door.

"Yeah, I can't wait to go back…home" he always liked that word. As dysfunctional as that small apartment was, it was still home to him.

"It's good to have you back kiddo. Things haven't been the same without you" She told him as she thought 'I hope him returning will help Asuka out of her funk'.

* * *

Asuka stared blankly at the TV as she sat on the couch. She was in her own little world right now.

'So the idiot's coming back today' she thought 'finally, no more take out and instant food' ever since her battle with the fifteenth angel she has stopped talking to everybody, even Hikari. She appears to most as an empty shell of her former self. She lazily does what she's told and appears to simply exist like Rei usually does. Of course, in her head is where the real problem lies.

'I don't know if I can face him now. I was so weak and he had to save me, again. I was beaten by the number one pilot as usual. Should I really be calling him an idiot when I'm the real failure' her spirit was smashed to bits after this last battle and now there is no sign of the confidence she once had.

Asuka was so caught up in her own mind that she failed to hear two people enter the apartment.

"Hello Asuka, ya here" Misato yelled out. The red head poked her head up from the couch and just stared at the two of them for a moment before she got up, walked into her room, and shut the door. Misato just let out a sigh "She hasn't said a word since the battle. It's really been worrying me" Shinji kept his eyes on the closed door as Misato put her jacket up "Sorry about the mess but I've been busy lately and, well, you've seen how Asuka is now" Shinji finally took a look around the apartment and was shocked to find it in as big a mess as the first day he arrived here.

"I'll go get the vacuum" he said as he put a few things away in his room.

It felt great to be back home.

* * *

"Sync ratio holding at eighty two percent" Maya told Ritsuko.

"Good to know that his time in solitary confinement didn't affect his numbers" the doctor told the lieutenant.

"How's Asuka doing" Misato said as she walked up to the other two. Ritsuko didn't want to tell her but she knew that one way or another the women would find out anyway.

"Frankly" she started "that Aida kid would have a better chance of syncing with Unit 02 right now" Misato looked almost shocked but she had a feeling this might happen "We're going to need a new pilot" she told the Major.

"You're not suggesting Aida, are you" Misato was dead serious, thinking back to the fiasco that was Touji's activation of Unit 03. Ritsuko laughed at the Major.

"Oh heavens no" she chuckled again "No, the fifth child has already been chosen. Actually he'll be here tomorrow".

"Why wasn't I made aware of this" Misato growled.

"I was just informed of this myself so don't get mad at me" Ritsuko's temper was beginning to rise.

"Sorry. So, who's the new kid" she asked.

"I don't know much other than his name" Ritsuko grabbed some papers off of Maya's desk and sorted through them until she found what she was looking for "Kaworu Nagisa. It says here that he was born on…wait a second…the day of Second Impact" that stunned the three women.

"That's got to be the biggest coincidence I've ever heard" Maya said as she looked over Rei's sync scores.

"No kidding" Misato frowned as she took the papers and looked at them herself. After filing through them she noticed a few things "Is it just me or have they crossed every t and dotted every i".

"What do you mean?" Ritsuko asked.

"I might just be over analyzing them but these records look doctored to me" Misato told her friend.

"Hand them here and let me see" Misato gave them back to Ritsuko and the doctor looked over them 'These look similar to Rei's records' she thought "I'll look into this, okay Misato".

"Thanks. So, how do I break this to Asuka" Misato was up for any suggestions.

"In my professional opinion I'd say you're screwed no matter what you tell her but on the bright side she may actually speak if she gets mad enough".

"Thanks for the confidence boost, I feel so much better" Misato deadpanned.

"That's what I'm here for" Ritsuko smiled and patted her friend on the shoulder "If I don't hear from you in a couple days I'll make sure to send a search team to the river" Ritsuko laughed while Maya was shocked at what her senpai had said.

"I can always count on you Ritsu" Misato left for the locker rooms to pick up the children.

"Senpai, that was so mean" Maya told the doctor.

"No, she understands what I meant and knows she has my support" Ritsuko said as she began walking to her office with the file to one Kaworu Nagisa "Oh, Maya, can you please prepare the pilots for their weekly physical exam".

"Yes ma'am" the bridge tech chirped as the doctor left the test area.

* * *

Shinji handed Misato a bag of frozen peas. The Major then placed it to the side of her face.

"That girl has anger issues" Misato hissed as she winced in pain.

"Misato, you only now figured that out?" Shinji asked as he sat next to her on the couch.

"No but I didn't think she would punch me that hard. I know piloting means a lot to the girl but even she must have seen this coming with such low sync scores" Misato took the frozen peas off her cheek.

"I think that's the main problem" Shinji said "She was trying hard and giving it her best and yet she still failed. Despite the fact that I dislike piloting, I know I would take it hard".

Back in her room, Asuka was doing what she thought she'd never do again. She was crying her eyes out.

'I'm such a loser' she hounded herself 'and now I'm good for nothing. I can't even activate MY Eva…no, it's not even mine anymore". That night Asuka had a restless sleep filled with horrible nightmare of dolls and her mother hanging by a noose. The weirdest one though was of the last angel she ever fought. Its wings were wrapped around its body and it was shuddering. At the end of the dream the angel had said two words but it seemed confused and disoriented.

"I…live?"

* * *

Shinji woke up early in the morning as he always did to take a shower. If he didn't then Asuka would use up all the hot water and he'd be left with nothing but an ice cold nightmare. He slowly got up and stretched, causing his back to make a popping sound. He never liked that feeling or the sound it made but it did make him feel better.

Shinji slowly left his room with a yawn and entered the bathroom. After turning on the shower he began to get undressed. He unwisely stepped into the shower without testing it and burned his skin, causing him to yelp, he shook his head and turned down the temperature. Shinji let out a content sigh as the water soothed his waking body.

His moment of serenity was soon ruined when the door flew open and someone ran to the toilet. He quickly put his hand over himself as he heard the all too normal sound of someone vomiting. He was used to the times that Misato would wake up with a bad hangover.

'Wait, that's not Misato' he thought as he peeked out of the curtain. He found Asuka hunched over the toilet puking her lungs out. He wanted to say something but he wasn't exactly in the best situation to do so. After about a minute of heaving out her insides Asuka finally stopped and just sat on the floor next to the toilet holding her stomach.

"Are…are you okay" Shinji finally asked with a towel wrapped around himself. Asuka was momentarily stunned; she didn't know that someone was already in the bathroom. Soon enough though she got up and walked to the sink. She grabbed her tooth brush and some mouth wash and began getting the taste out of her mouth. The whole time she kept her eyes away from Shinji. He felt really uncomfortable with just a towel on so he scurried off to his room.

Asuka was glad he left as she was really embarrassed with what happened. But what was with the sudden sickness? She didn't eat Misato's cooking last night and she didn't feel like she had a virus.

'Oh well' she thought as she finished up and went back to her room to get some new under garments.

Shinji had just started to get breakfast ready when he spotted Asuka leaving the bathroom.

'I hope she's okay' he's been concerned with her well being a lot more lately. She came out of her room with a few pieces of cloth in her arms and headed back into the bathroom "I wonder what caused her to be sick?" he said aloud as he cooked some eggs and toast for breakfast.

After the two silently ate breakfast they headed towards their school as usual. As they got to the entrance Shinji noticed Kensuke and immediately walked towards him while Asuka did the same to Hikari.

As Shinji reached Kensuke he noticed that somebody was standing next to him.

"Touji" Shinji said as he looked over the boy.

"How's it goin' Shinji" Touji waved.

"How are you doing" Shinji asked as he looked at his friends leg.

"Not too bad" he smiled "Sure I have a prosthetic leg but because of Nervs funding my sister is receiving proper care" Touji was happy about that part of the deal "It was a small sacrifice compared to what she's getting out of it" he looked back at Shinji "Enough about that, where have you been"?

"I kind of ignored the commander's orders during the last angel attack and he put me into solitary confinement" Shinji said, avoiding the reason why he ignored the orders in the first place.

"Well that sucks! If I don't listen to my dad he just takes away my videogames" Kensuke said.

Meanwhile Asuka was just standing next to Hikari while said girl talked to another student.

"I just think they should do it that way instead, it'd be so much simpler" Hikari told the girl. The girl nodded her head and walked off. Hikari turned to Asuka.

"So, how are you doing Asuka?" Asuka just shrugged causing Hikari to frown. Hikari looked past the red head and noticed Shinji 'I wonder if I can get any info about Asuka from him' She then planned to talk to Shinji after school.

School hadn't changed much since Shinji last went. In fact it was just as boring as usual. The teacher was just droning on about his life before Second Impact. Getting tired of hearing the old teacher, Shinji began looking around the class.

He looked at Touji for a bit. He was glad that his friend had recovered as well as his sister getting the proper care she needed. He noticed Touji taking quick glances to his left. Looking in that direction he saw Hikari doing the same to Touji. Looking closer he noticed a small smile as well as a blush on the class reps face.

'Didn't see that coming' he thought as he continued to look around. Kensuke was busy typing on his computer while Asuka lazily leaned onto her right arm and listened to the teacher. He knew he should do something for the girl but he wasn't sure what that might be. Turning towards the window he spotted Rei staring out into the clouds. He often wondered what went through the enigmatic girls mind as she stared out into nothingness.

"This is so boring" Shinji mumbled to himself and lowered his head to his desk. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

Doctor Noriyasu Seta sat tiredly at his computer terminal and checked over the pilot's latest physical exam results. He regretted coming to Nerv after Second Impact. It had always been his goal in life to become an archeologist but sadly, life always finds ways of rearranging ones future.

Though he was lost in his own thoughts he did noticed an irregularity in the Second Childs latest test. In fact, he recognized this sort of thing. He did a quick double check and after the computer confirmed his suspicions he let out an audible gulp.

"Oh boy, Ritsuko's not gonna like this" he had a silly smile on his face that was eerily similar to a certain triple agent. He pushed a button near his terminal and called for the Doctor Akagi.

* * *

**A/N: After putting this story off for so long, I finally found the time to start it. Truthfully, I've only put about three hours into writing and editing but I think it turned out pretty good.**

**Review if you want to, but it helps me know if you like/dislike my story or if I need work on my writing skills.**

**For those who care, Seta may be a reoccurring character. I'm still a Love Hina fan, even if I've been ignoring it lately.**

**Read ya Later.**


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